2006 OLYMPIC WINTER GAMES -- HOCKEY: MEN; Ousted Czechs Rooting for One of Their Own

By LEE JENKINS

Published: February 25, 2006

The handshake line started with four Rangers on one side and one on the other.

It ended with five Rangers united on the same side.

This could have been awkward, four Rangers from the Czech Republic skating past one Ranger from Sweden, after the Swede had just helped throttle the Czechs, 7-3, to advance to the gold medal game in the Olympic hockey tournament.

But true teammates have a way of easing all tensions. One by one, the Czech Rangers paused in the traditional postgame handshake line Friday and caught the eye of the Swedish Ranger. They had a message for him. They delivered it, not in Czech, not in Swedish, but in the sports lexicon native to New York: Bring it home.

There was no question which home they were referring to. When the Rangers gather next week at their practice facility in Greenburgh, N.Y., they hope and expect to see Henrik Lundqvist wearing a gold medal over his sweater. ''It was nice to hear,'' said Lundqvist, the goalie for Sweden and for the Rangers. ''But I really want that Cup, too.''

Even on the day when Lundqvist hoisted his country onto the biggest stage in the world, he was talking about the Rangers and their quest for the Stanley Cup. He referred to Jaromir Jagr, Martin Straka, Martin Rucinsky and Marek Malik -- the Rangers who play for the Czech Republic -- as much as he mentioned anyone on the Swedish team.

Lundqvist had to feel as if he were back at practice in Greenburgh on Friday. Jagr peppered him with shots. Straka shielded him in front of the net. Players were making trick passes and taking wild slap shots, as if they were finished with the customary drills and were firing away freely. It was the kind of rollicking display that goalies hate and fans love.

''The final score of this game could have easily been 11-9,'' Kenny Jonsson of Sweden said. ''That's fun hockey.''

Now that Canada and the United States have been eliminated from the tournament, taking with them their brutish style, the Europeans are maximizing the open ice. Sweden scored its first goal 34 seconds into the game. The Czech Republic scored its first two goals in a span of 45 seconds. Swedish brothers Kenny and Jorgen Jonsson teamed for one goal. Swedish twins Daniel and Henrik Sedin teamed for another. The Swedes looked as if they had been playing together their whole lives, and in the case of the Jonssons and the Sedins, they had.

Although Canada was favored to win the gold medal at these Games, largely because its players were bigger than everyone else's, Sweden demonstrated the benefit of grace and guile. Defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom, in what might have been the play of the tournament, wound up for a hard slap shot in the first period, but instead ripped a pass to P. J. Axelsson. The pass looked like a shot. The Czechs were fooled. Axelsson steered the puck into the net and then began laughing.

''You're looking at the net right there,'' Lidstrom said. ''But you're shooting in front of it.''

Lundqvist needed to make only 21 saves, allowing one goal that was set up by Straka and another that came on a rebound after a blast by Jagr. Lundqvist will have bragging rights over his Czech teammates when he returns to the locker room in Greenburgh. But it is probably best for the Rangers' rapport that he did not shut out his Czech teammates.

''We were tired today,'' Straka said. ''I don't know what happened. We just didn't have the legs.''

Straka was called for a penalty that led to a goal. Jagr rested for much of the first period. Rucinsky took a stick in the face and lay motionless for a moment. Considering all the misfortune that has befallen the Czech Republic in this tournament -- goalie Dominik Hasek was injured in the opener and Jagr was bloodied with a hit to the head -- the Czech Rangers may want to skip the bronze-medal game Saturday and retreat to New York as quickly as possible.

They have become fans of Sweden, which is not the worst role to play at these Olympics. The Swedes have scored six or more goals five times in the tournament, much to the delight of their followers, who wear large inflatable pink hands to the games -- all the better for applauding breakaways. Now Sweden will get an encore in the final Sunday against Finland, a team that includes Rangers forward Ville Nieminen.

''We love playing with the puck instead of playing without it,'' Swedish defenseman Niklas Kronvall said. ''We want to skate with it.''

The Swedes are difficult to keep track of, and not just because they skate figure eights around most opponents. They have players named Nicklas, Niklas and Niclas. They have three Daniels, three Henriks, two Mikaels and a Mika. And they all seem to have a knack for scoring goals, except, of course, for the one Henrik who has a knack for preventing them.

The Rangers will see Lundqvist next week, when the team will probably form its own version of a handshake line in the locker room. The Czechs will again cross paths with the Swede. But nothing will be awkward about it. They will be at home.

SLAPSHOTS

Mike Modano has apologized for the tone of recent criticisms of USA Hockey, saying the ''timing was bad'' and that he wants to help the organization in the future. ''I've been a part of this program for 20 years, and it means a lot to me,'' he told The Dallas Morning News. Modano, who was benched in the third period of the United States' 4-3 loss to Finland in the quarterfinals, blasted coaches and administrators for the team's 1-4-1 record in the tournament. (AP)

Photo: Goaltender Henrik Lundqvist of Sweden with Jaromir Jagr (68) and Martin Rucinsky. They all play for the Rangers. (Photo by Vincent Laforet for The New York Times)(pg. D2)